ROLE-SPECIFIC SKILLS

Data Storytelling test for hiring

See how candidates turn charts and tables into clear, audience-aware business messages.

10 minutes
15 questions
Intermediate
Multiple choice
Questions in English
Phone and desktop

Use this test free See the question formats

The short answer

The Data Storytelling test is an intermediate hiring assessment for analyst and reporting roles that present results to others. It measures how candidates read charts and tables, choose or repair visuals, frame findings for an audience, and judge which business action the evidence supports. Questions use multiple choice and give candidates 40 seconds each.

What it measures

Reading charts and tables accurately, choosing clear visuals, framing findings for an audience, and linking data to business decisions.

Reading and analyzing data

Candidates read charts and small tables and interpret the data they contain.

Choosing and fixing visuals

Candidates choose a clear visual or identify how to fix one.

Framing the message

Candidates frame a finding for the audience in a given scenario.

Business judgment from data

Candidates judge which business action the available evidence supports.

Question formats

Multiple choice

The candidate: Reads a short situation, table or statement and picks the right answer, or every right answer.

You see: Whether the candidate knows the material well enough to apply it, not just recognize it.

15 questions in 10 minutes, served one at a time.

Roles this test fits

Analyst and reporting roles that present results to others: business and data analysts, BI and dashboard developers, analytics engineers, consultants, and product, marketing or operations analysts.

See data communication in context

Check interpretation, not just presentation
Chart and table questions show how candidates read the underlying figures before they communicate a finding.
Probe visual choices
Candidates choose or repair visuals, giving you evidence about how they would make a chart clearer.
Connect findings to action
Business scenarios show how candidates weigh evidence when judging what action it supports.
Keep tool experience out of the way
The test names no specific software, so experience with one tool does not give a candidate an advantage.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Data Storytelling

71%Percentile 46. Benchmark: HireValid candidates, n = 1,694

Reading and analyzing data84%

Choosing and fixing visuals75%

Framing the message58%

Business judgment from data65%

Integrity ScoreHigh confidence

Stayed on the test tab throughout
No pasted answers
Answered at a steady pace

Scores, profiles and integrity signals are evidence for you to review alongside an interview, never an automatic decision.

Use this test free

How the test handles integrity signals

Each candidate receives a different set of questions from large question pools. Questions appear in a different order for each attempt, and answer options are shuffled. The browser receives one question at a time, and answer keys stay on HireValid’s servers. Timing runs on the server; reloading returns the same question with only the time left. Candidates cannot go back to earlier questions. The test records signals such as time away from the test tab, pastes into answers, and answers faster than a question can be read. An Integrity Score and evidence timeline are provided for employer review, not as an automatic decision. With candidate consent, an employer can add webcam photos at random moments. Learn more in How we build our tests.

How we prevent AI cheating · Integrity signals

Review the score with other evidence

Use the score as one signal to review, not as a pass mark or a hiring decision. Pair it with a work sample in which the candidate explains a chart, chooses a visual, and supports a recommendation with evidence. Then use the same structured interview questions for each candidate. For related measurement of data workflows, see Data Extraction, Transformation, and Loading (ETL) or Tableau. The pre-employment testing guide offers broader hiring-test guidance.

Structured interview questions

How would you explain this chart's main finding to a business audience?
Listen for an accurate reading of the chart and a message shaped for the stated audience.
What would you change about this visual to make its point clearer?
Listen for a specific visual choice tied to the information the chart needs to communicate.
What business action would you recommend from these figures, and what evidence supports it?
Listen for a recommendation connected to the data, including a clear account of what the evidence does and does not support.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Fairness and accommodations

Scenarios use generic organizations and everyday business settings, with no currency symbols, idioms, sports or local knowledge, and names from many backgrounds. Chart series are told apart by labels, line styles and patterns, never by color alone. Numbers are kept simple enough for scratch paper, and the test names no specific software, so experience with any one tool gives no advantage.

You can give any candidate extra time as an accommodation. Results are evidence for a person to review, never an automatic decision.

Provisional: reliability is reported once 200 candidates have completed it.

Read our fairness approach

Test details

A short, timed test of how well a candidate turns numbers into a clear, honest message. Candidates read charts and small tables, pick or repair visuals, frame findings for a given audience, and judge which business action the evidence supports. Each question has its own 40-second timer.

Questions are in English.
Aids allowed: Scratch paper.
Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
4 practice questions, 4 minutes, before the timed test.

Frequently asked questions

Which roles fit the Data Storytelling test?+

It is intended for intermediate analyst and reporting roles that present results to others, including business and data analysts, BI and dashboard developers, analytics engineers, consultants, and product, marketing, or operations analysts.

How does the Data Storytelling test account for different backgrounds?+

Scenarios use generic organizations and everyday business settings, with no currency symbols, idioms, sports, or local knowledge. Names come from many backgrounds, and chart series use labels, line styles, and patterns rather than color alone.

Can candidates use scratch paper on the Data Storytelling test?+

Yes. Scratch paper is allowed, and the numbers are kept simple enough for it. The test names no specific software, so familiarity with one tool does not give a candidate an advantage.

What practice is available for the Data Storytelling test?+

Candidates can try a practice set of four questions with four minutes to complete it. The live test has 15 multiple-choice questions, with 40 seconds for each question, covering charts and tables, visuals, audience framing, and business judgment.